The morning light once again spilled across the small courtyard. Fang Xuan slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, a cold flash vanishing from his eyes as they opened.
Transformation Realm.
It had fallen into place naturally, without a single hitch.
One night of... hard cultivation, combined with the terrifying enhancement of the Spirit-Gathering Body.
That seemingly difficult barrier to the Transformation Realm was as fragile as window paper under the joint impact of surging spiritual energy and... a certain unspeakable power of yin-yang harmony.
The change in his strength was tangible.
Looking within himself, his dantian and sea of qi had expanded several times over, his spiritual energy rushing like a river, dense and heavy.
The grand cycle, which previously required deliberate guidance to flow, had now almost become as natural as breathing.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered toward him spontaneously without any effort on his part, then was purified by the Spirit-Gathering Body for his own use.
Can a century of your meditation compare to one night of his hard cultivation?
A small smirk played at the corner of Fang Xuan's mouth, a hint of pride bubbling up in his heart.
Of course, the quality of this night of hard cultivation was no small matter; it was the result of his sincere efforts in live combat.
He casually clenched his fist. Without using any spiritual energy, the sheer strength of his physique—enhanced by the realm breakthrough—caused the surrounding air to emit bursts of crackling sounds.
It even kicked up a significant astral wind, causing the nearby bamboo chair to wobble.
The slight noise disturbed the person inside the room.
Ning Xian rubbed her eyes and walked out, wearing loose nightclothes.
Her long hair was draped somewhat messily over her shoulders, with a few mischievous strands sticking to her fair neck and collarbones.
The faint dark circles under her eyes were still quite clear in the morning light.
However, it gave her a sort of lazy and fragile beauty.
She walked into Fang Xuan's arms in a daze, reaching out both hands to naturally gather his loose black hair and gently bind it for him.
"Why are you always so disobedient, never binding your hair?" Her voice still carried the slight rasp of someone who had just woken up, soft and light.
Fang Xuan smiled and let her fuss over him. "Hmm... I'm used to it. With Senior Sister here, I don't need to worry about such trivial matters."
Ning Xian bound his hair and then habitually straightened his collar, which wasn't even messy.
Then, she let out a soft sigh and rested her chin on his shoulder, whispering, "Then what will you do without Senior Sister?"
Fang Xuan reached back and grasped her hand resting on his shoulder, their fingers interlocking. "That is why I will never leave Senior Sister."
Ning Xian tilted her head slightly, pressing her warm cheek against the side of his neck. The corners of her mouth curved upward uncontrollably into a gentle smile.
Junior Brother is so good...
He'll always be this good, right...
......
The morning breeze was gentle, brushing past the apricot tree in the corner of the wall that had begun to sprout tender green leaves, and also fluttering the few messy strands of hair by Ning Xian's cheek.
She simply leaned against Fang Xuan, smiling faintly.
Her gaze seemed to fall on the morning clouds in the distant sky, yet it also seemed like she was looking at nothing at all, merely immersed in peaceful happiness.
Fang Xuan did not disturb her, only imprinting this scene deep into his heart.
The scenery was beautiful.
The senior sister leaning on his shoulder with a shallow smile was even better.
The breeze blew through the apricot blossoms, and through her scattered long hair...
He thought that he would likely remember this image for a long time.
.......
It was only after a long time that Ning Xian snapped out of that warm, vacant state.
Her gaze refocused, falling on the evening clouds that were gradually being dyed gold and red by the sunset.
Time... really flies.
Junior Brother's internal injuries were mostly healed, and his cultivation had successfully broken through to the Transformation Realm.
Fortunately, the progress was keeping up.
Since they had randomly teleported to this Xunyuan Town on the edge of the Central Plains to avoid possible tracking and trouble, they had been hiding here for quite some time.
But hiding forever was not a solution after all.
In every one of her lives, destiny seemed to favor her in a peculiar way, never allowing her to remain comfortable for long.
The road ahead would only get harder and harder to walk...
Not to mention the Upper Realm, even in this realm, there were still many invisible potential risks.
Her slender fingers subconsciously drew circles on Fang Xuan's shoulder as her mind quickly sifted through the obstacles that needed to be planned for and cleared in advance.
The Central Plains main city, Tianji Pavilion.
That pavilion master... was a lingering immortal stuck in this realm, and his strength was not to be underestimated.
More troublesome was that this person's movements were secretive and his thoughts were difficult to fathom, and he had a terrifying habit.
He specialized in hunting down new powerhouses who were about to fly through the Heavenly Ladder or those who had hope of doing so.
He would seize their luck and accumulation to maintain his own strength in the lower realm and delay the decay of the power of laws.
In almost every life, once her cultivation reached a certain level, she would be targeted by Tianji Pavilion.
In this life, with a Junior Brother of such staggering talent, the target would likely only be larger. It was only a matter of time before they were sought out.
However... Ning Xian turned her head slightly to look at Fang Xuan's clear profile, feeling a bit more at ease.
Junior Brother's talent was truly too high.
So high that it surpassed all her initial expectations.
The Spirit-Gathering Body's compatibility with him was perfect, and combined with his own excellent comprehension, his combat strength was by no means comparable to an ordinary Transformation Realm cultivator.
If the two of them joined forces, suppressing and killing that pavilion master should not be much of an issue...
There were still many things to do in the Central Plains...
For instance, several other factions that needed to be guarded against, a few secret realms that might contain opportunities or dangers, and some karmic ties that needed to be formed or severed in advance...
So, while she had to prevent Junior Brother from being snatched away by those so-called clansmen or anyone else, she also had to keep feeding him.
Find resources, smooth the path, and ensure he could successfully cultivate to the ninth level of Tribulation Crossing, making full preparations for the Heavenly Ladder.
And once they reached the Upper Realm... that would be an entirely new chessboard.
At that time, she would have to reorganize her plans and find a way for Junior Brother to join a suitable holy land to obtain the best heritage and resources.
She would stay behind the scenes, stealing more opportunities and snatching more treasures.
No matter what, she had to let Junior Brother attain immortality first.
As for herself...
Ning Xian's gaze turned gentle again, even a bit foolish.
She had no grand ideas and no obsessions that she must complete.
It was enough as long as Junior Brother was there.
Wherever he was, that was where her home would be...
.......
Coming back to her senses, she suddenly thought... it seemed like she hadn't cooked for Junior Brother in a long time?
Lately, it had been nothing but cultivation, or preparing for body tempering.
She wrinkled her nose in slight frustration; she was truly an incompetent senior sister.
She rose from Fang Xuan's embrace and straightened her nightclothes. Although a lingering blush remained on her face, her eyes were clear and bright.
"What do you want to eat?"
Fang Xuan just watched her quietly.
He watched her from the moment she furrowed her brow in thought, to the moment her gaze went blank, and finally to this moment where she asked with a bit of bashfulness yet full of tenderness.
These days in Xunyuan Town.
He probably would never want to leave them.
......
"Senior Sister," he spoke, "I want to eat red braised meat."
It was a very common dish, but he missed the taste of her cooking.
Ning Xian's eyes crinkled into crescents. "Mhm, okay."
"I'll help you out."
He naturally took her small hand and walked toward the kitchen.......
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